


Puller Mage Scout Magica

by Psyga315



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Team Fortress 2
Genre: A Man In A Woman's Body, Accents, Comedy, Crossover, Fish out of Water, Gen, Kyubey Abuse, Mentions of Yuri, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Possession, Remastered Edition, Spoilers, Turf War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-08
Updated: 2014-10-30
Packaged: 2018-01-11 13:39:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1173716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Psyga315/pseuds/Psyga315
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scout awakens in the body of a transfer student and soon finds himself caught up in what he believes is a turf war between Magical Girls and hunts for giant freakish monsters called Witches. Hi-jinx ensues for a brief while... Then it gets replaced with Suffering, all while he tries to figure out what is going on and who this transfer student really is. </p><p>This fanfic's first five chapters are remastered exclusively for this site.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. This Is Going To Suck

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Puller Mage Scout Magica](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/35526) by Psyga315. 
  * Inspired by [Team Fortress 2: Meet the Team Puella Magi](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/35527) by InfiniteEMP. 
  * Inspired by [Magia Revolution](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/35528) by /a/nonymous magica. 



> This was inspired by a couple of things. First is a YouTube video where TF2 voice clips are put into scenes from Madoka. With Homura having Scout’s voice. Hence this crossover. The second thing this is inspired by is Magia Revolution, which uses a similar premise, yet does a different execution.

{Disclaimer: I do not own Team Fortress 2 or Puella Magi Madoka Magica. They belong to Valve and Shaft respectively}

* * *

The Scout’s eyes opened up as he found himself in a hospital.

“Man... Did I take a beatin’ or what?” He got up and massaged his eyes. He got off the bed and wandered about. On the side of a table was a purple egg-shaped jewel with a gold casing. He picked it up and looked at it. The jewel glowed and transformed into a ring. He looked at the ring in confusion. He decided to look at himself in the mirror. Instead of seeing a man in a red shirt and gray pants with a hat and headphones, he saw a girl in pyjamas with long black hair. “What da heck?” He felt his face. He then moved his hands down to his chest. “Oh... You have _got_ to be KIDDING me!” The Scout felt two small bumps on his chest. “... Someone must _really_ hate me.” His face furled to a glare. The door opened. He turned to see a nurse popping in.

“Akemi-chan, you should get ready for your first day of school.” the nurse said. The Scout’s face furled even tighter.

“WHAT?” He said. He looked to a chair and saw a beige sweater with a giant red bow on it resting on the chair. There was also a black skirt and black stockings as well. “... Well dis is gonna suck.” He said.

* * *

Chapter 1: This Is Going To Suck

* * *

“DON’T DATE MEN WHO ARE PICKY ABOUT HOW THEY LIKE THEIR EGGS!” screamed a teacher as she pounded her hands on the desk. The Scout waited outside the class, dressed in the school uniform.

“ _Come on, get on wit it..._ ” Scout heard the teacher ramble on about eggs. He heard the teacher call for him... her.

“Akemi-san, please come in.” She said. The Scout entered the classroom. Silence filled the class, with only murmurs complimenting Scout’s, or rather Akemi’s, beauty. He stared at the students. “...Why don’t you tell them your name?” The teacher said. The Scout tried to think about how to pronounce the name. He’s heard “Akemi” quite a few times to know how to pronounce it well, but not the other part of the name.

“Well, my name is Akemi...” Silence again as he tried to think about how to pronounce the last part of the name without screwing up. “Homer. Akemi Homer. Nice to meet ya.” He said. He heard squeaking behind him and he turned around. He saw that the teacher had written on the whiteboard... _something_. Three strange symbols stacked on top of each other. He wasn’t sure what it was... Some strange language, maybe? He felt a strange tingle in his hand and grabbed the marker from the teacher. His hand proceeded to draw five symbols, with the last three being more simplified. He handed the marker back to the teacher.

“ _What... da... crap?_ ” Scout turned around and felt the students eyes stare at him. He gulped and waited for how this would turn up. Some of the students clapped, followed shortly by the rest of the class. He sighed in relief. He went over to his seat as a group of girls crowded him. They began asking him questions like what school he’s been to before or how he managed to take care of the long hair.

“Ladies! Ladies! One at a time!” Scout held his hands up. “Let’s start wiiiiiiiiith...” He tried to pick someone to ask him a question when a girl with pink hair and red ribbons tied to them pushed through the crowd.

“Sorry... b-but Akemi-chan needs to take her medicine during break.” the girl said with a soft voice. “Do you know how to get to the nurse’s office?” She asked.

“... Does it _look_ like I need medicine?” Was the Scout’s response.

“... W-well...” the girl stammered and stepped an inch away from the Scout.

“Now den, who wants to go fir-“ Scout felt a little woozy. “ _Da hell?_ ” The girl went over and grabbed him by the sleeve.

“Come along...” She said, though her volume was quite low. The Scout got up and followed her to the infirmary, almost subconsciously. The way she let him up, it felt like the girl was tugging him along, though Scout noticed her hand loosely gripped the sleeve. Possibly the wooziness, he thought.

* * *

The two walked across the hallway, with the girl in lead. The Scout noticed how the girl was walking awkwardly, as if she was afraid of something. She stopped in the middle of the hall.

“Uh...” Scout tilted his head.

“... Have we met before?” She asked.

“What kinda stupid question is dat? I don’t even know ya!” Scout said.

“Well... I... I think I met you in a dream... and...” the girl twiddled with her fingers.

“Cool story, bro. Now if ya excuse me, I think I have to take my medicine. Before I _really_ get sick of yer mushy love declarations.” Scout said. The girl’s cheeks instantly flushed red and she began to stammer.

“O-o-o-okay then...” She continued to bring her to the infirmary. Scout felt a slight sense of déjà vu in his head. He turned around. The girl was now trailing him.

“Um... Am I headin’ in da right direction?” Scout asked her. The girl nodded. “O-okay. Just checkin’.” Scout _knew_ he had not been here in all his life... so how the heck was he recalling where he’s going with almost picture perfect memory? The thought bothered him for the rest of the trip.

* * *

The rest of the school day was a blur for the Scout. The encounter with the girl was the only thing running in his mind. Other events like failing at solving math problems, and outrunning everyone at gym were just afterthoughts compared to the meeting. He began to think that he was dropped into some sort of strange lesbian tentacle anime. Could explain the strange moonspeak on the whiteboard. However, the only things he knew about anime _were_ perverted things like lesbians and tentacles. When the day ended, he went to the mall to try to make sense out of this. He sat by a table at the food court and looked at his ring, thinking about what he’s doing here.

“ _Seriously, I can’t be in some Japanese city for no reason._ ” Scout played with his ring. The ring glowed. “... Dat can’t be good.” Scout looked around for a bathroom. He found one close by and ran to it.

* * *

He got into the men’s room, forgetting the fact that he’s now a girl, and looked at the glowing ring.

“What da crap is dis?” He touched the ring. Suddenly, it glowed brighter. The Scout was blinded. When his vision returned, he saw himself in the mirror. Now his school outfit had changed. The outfit was similar to the school uniform, however it was a little less thick, and the beige was replaced with white. The bow was still there, but it shrunk into a small purple one. The black skirt was now purple and the stockings with purple diamond shaped patterns on the sides. “... SERIOUSLY?” He ran out the bathroom, with a man standing outside and looking in awe.

* * *

As he went back to the food court, he noticed something small and white just standing across him. He went a little closer and saw that it was a catlike thing with two sets of ears. One was like normal cat ears while the other set came out of the ears and was long and floppy, with two rings on the ears. It also had a long bushy tail.

“ _Huh? I don’t remember making a contract with you..._ ” it fixated its pink eyes at the Scout. The Scout looked at the head of the cat and smirked.

“Ooooooh yeah. Time for ol’ Scoutie to get himself a new hat!” He said. The cat’s face didn’t change emotions, but the way it backed away showed that it knew the Scout was going to do something bad to it. The Scout began to run after the cat, which turned tail and ran. Bypassers looked at the Scout and only had confused looks on their faces. In their view, the cat was absent, leaving them to think of why the woman is chasing thin air.

* * *

Soon, the cat and the Scout reach a small corridor that looked to be under some remodelling.

“Get back here, ya mangy cat! I just wanna scalp ya!” Scout said to the cat. He noticed a diamond on his hand. He touched it and it suddenly turned into a small stone shield. “Dis day gets weirder and weirder!” He looked in the shield. He saw something inside it. He pulled it out and saw that it was a handgun. “SWEET! Ya toast now, kitty!” Scout fired the gun at the cat. Some of the shots missed, but one finally got it in the leg. The cat stumbled and landed in pain. The Scout approached the cat. “Now den, let’s make us a hat!” He said as he pulled out a knife from the shield. As he put the knife below the right floppy ear, he heard someone. A familiar voice.

“Akemi-chan! What are you doing?” the girl asked. The Scout turned to see her.

“Ah, not you again! Look, just lemme do dis one thing, ‘ight?” Scout pressed the knife against the cat’s face, cutting into its skin.

“NO! I won’t let you harm it!” the girl raised her voice and ran to pull the Scout away from the cat.

“Get off me, ya broad! I just wanna hat is all!” Scout tried to push the girl away from him. Suddenly, another girl burst into the scene. He only had time to notice the blue hair before she sprayed foam from the fire extinguisher at his face. “Gaaaah!” He backed away from the sudden shock of being sprayed in the face. When he wiped the foam off, the two girls were gone, along with the cat. “Damn it! Where did dey go?” He said.

Suddenly, he began to see trippy visuals of butterflies as the floor he was on changed. Now it seemed like another world altogether.

“Was dat extinguisha drugged or somethin’?” Scout muttered. He looked around to try and find an exit. That’s when a ball of fluff with a moustache came up to him, squeaking some strange language. “Sorry, not in da mood fo’ an acid trip!” Scout simply fired the pistol at the puffball and ran in a straight path in the direction he _thought_ the girls ran to.

* * *

Thankfully, the strange acid trip faded. That’s when he found the two girls and the cat. There was another girl with them. Her clothes weren’t similar to the school uniform, but some things were consistent: the bow on the chest, the skirt, and the stockings. The differences were the beret and the corset. The girl had blond hair with pigtails that were curled like drills. However, the first thing the Scout noticed weren’t the clothes, but the large breasts. The Scout’s nose began to drip blood. The blonde-haired woman then looked at him.

“The Witch seemed to have escaped. I’m going to be busy so I’ll let you take care of it this time.” She said. Scout continued to look at her, unsure of what the heck she was talking about. He snapped out of his mesmerisation.

“Yeah, look, lady. I’m not in da mood for doin’ some eighteenth century bullcrap witch-huntin’. Just lemme scalp dat cat an’ I’ll be on my way.” Scout said.

“... I see.” the woman closed her eyes for a moments. She sighed. “And to think I’d be able to overlook this incident.” After that, she opened them and glared at Scout. “Who are you and what were you doing to Kyubey?” She asked him.

“Kyubey? You mean dat cat? I was gonna cut da top portion of his head off and make a hat outta it. Is dat so wrong?” He asked her.

“Yes! Very wrong! What did he ever do that makes you want to make a hat out of him?” She asked back.

“Dude, hats are cool where I come from. Dey see me wit dat and dey will shower me wit respect!” The Scout said.

“I don’t care how popular hats are, you’re not going to harm Kyubey!” She said.

“Just who da hell do ya think ya are? His legal guardian or somethin’?” He said. The woman looked at the Scout with a cold glare.

“As a matter of fact, I am. I don’t know who you are, but this is my turf. I suggest you move out and find another one.” She said to the Scout.

“... Turf? Pah! Oh, dat’s rich. Like ya know _anything_ about controlling turf. Look here, missie, ya wanna turf war? Ya got one! Next time we meet, I will **end** ya! And den I’ll make a hat outta dat cat!” He walked away from the girls.

* * *

When he entered his hospital room, the sun was already setting. There were so many things he thought about. More particularly the moment he confronted the woman. What kind of war was he brought into? And what the heck was up with the puffballs? He sighed, took off his school clothes and put on his pyjamas. He looked at his feminine body one last time before heading to bed.

“Meh... could have been worse.” He hopped on the bed and went to sleep.


	2. I’ll Show You That I’m Not A Noob!

The Scout woke up and still noticed he was in the hospital.

“So dat wasn’t a dream? Damn.” He got up, undressed himself and put on the school uniform. He couldn’t stop thinking of the conversation he had with the… talented lady. He sighed and got up, ready to go to school.

* * *

 

Chapter 2: I’ll Show You That I’m Not A Noob!

* * *

 

As he entered the classroom, he noticed the blue-haired that blinded him. However, he shifted attention to what was on the pink-haired girl’s desk: the cat. The Scout simply glared at the cat and sat in his seat. It was hard for the Scout to focus on the lesson, knowing that the cat is just inches away. Simply there without anyone questioning its presence. It felt so frustrating to the Scout.

“ _Damn it, Scout, ya not in Dustbowl! You get da gun out, dey gonna call da cops!_ ” Scout thought. He glared at the cat, though the girl looked pretty uncomfortable with his stare.

“Miss Akemi, is there something wrong?” Scout turned around and saw the crazy egg-obsessed teacher.

“Erm... No mam.” Scout tried to put on a more casual face. The teacher sighed and went to her chalkboard.

“Very well... _do_ try to keep attention, though.” She said. Scout sighed. The best he could do now was pretend he was a high-schooler again and sit in class, waiting for the bell to ring.

It would have been an easy feat if it wasn’t for two problems. The first being that the teacher decided grammar would be the best lesson for this class.

“ _Arg! Why couldn’t we just do history? Dat’s when all da cool stuff happens!_ ” Scout thought. The other problem was that, while he’d snooze in class like the blue-haired girl and that cat, he was in the front row, not really the best position to catch z’s.

Finally, the bell rang and Scout ran out the door.

* * *

 

After taking some medicine, the Scout still felt a bit ticked off. He decided to go outside onto the school’s rooftop. He took in the fresh air. He looked at the tall fence.

“ _Figures._ ” Scout thought. Of course the school would barricade the rooftops. He looked around the rooftop and noticed something glimmering from afar. Something golden was shining in a building far off... Scout looked and saw the lady standing there, now in the same school uniform that he and the girls were in.

“Have you come to finish what you started?” Scout turned around and saw the two girls and their cat. This was too tempting for the Scout. Right now, he could just get the gun, shoot, and he gets himself a new hat. They were the only people there, after all... Though that lady standing there would be problematic. That, and the shooting would cause a lot of noise.

“Nah… Not yet. I was just out for some fresh air is all.” Scout left afterwards. However, the pink haired girl spoke up.

“Uh, wait, Akemi-chan…” Scout turned around. “… What… What was your wish when you became a Puella Magi?” She asked. Scout gave her a confused look.

“A… Puller Wat Now?” He asked.

“Uh… Nevermind…” The girl squeaked. Scout sighed.

“Look, I got gym soon, and I _really_ don’t wanna sit through confusin’ an’ annoyin’ crap like dreams an’ wishes.” And with that, Scout left the roof. The less he had to see that cat’s unmoving face or hear that blue-haired girl’s attitude, the better.

* * *

 

Gym was better remembered by the Scout. Mostly because it was the only time where he could actually forget about the girls and focus more on important matters, like leaving other students in the dust.

“Wow! That was even faster than last time!” The teacher looked at her stopwatch. Scout approached her, panting for breath every now and then.

“Wat can I say? I’m da best at runnin’.” Scout said as a couple of the students crowded him to ask him questions on how he managed to run so fast. Unlike yesterday, Scout actually felt like he was running instead of leaving it as just an afterthought.

“Just remember girls, put 110% into your efforts!” Scout told the students with a smile. He left the gym and entered the locker rooms, making sure that he entered the female’s locker room this time.

* * *

 

The end of the day approached, and Scout was getting ready to head home. As he did, though, a girl approached him. Thankfully for him, it wasn’t those two girls, but rather a girl with long wavy green hair.

“Uh… excuse me…” She said.

“Huh? Watta ya want?” Scout crossed his fingers and hoped that the rude statement didn’t drive away the girl.

“According to the teacher, you’re currently at the hospital until you get better, right?” She asked.

“Yeah... At least I assume so.” Scout said.

“Ah... Well, I’m almost certain she’s not interested in him but...” The girl began to shudder at... whatever she was thinking.

“Da heck are ya thinkin’?” Scout asked.

“Let’s just say there are some kinds of love that aren’t meant to be... and yet they are.” She said.

“Ooooooh... Lemme guess, dat pink-haired chick’s into girls, right?” Scout asked.

“Miss Kaname? Y-yes. At least, I think so. But that’s not who I’m concerned about... In the hospital, there’s a guy named Kamijou Kyousuke. He’ll be in room 305. What I want you to do is-”

“Whack him?” Scout asked suddenly. He realized what he just said and backed away a bit.

“What? Heavens no!” She placed her hand over her mouth.

“ _Scout, you dumbass!_ ” Scout thought. However, the girl continued to speak.

“Look, I want you to ask him a simple question: Does he like Miki Sayaka? If he does, I gotta tell Miss Miki that so she can stop with her forbidden love!” She said.

“Dat’s it? Pffffffft. Easy. I’ll do it probably tomorrow.” Scout said.

“I’m glad we had this little talk.” The girl left Scout alone. Scout was ready to leave when two more girls came up to him.

“Miss Akemi! Would you like to have coffee with us?” One of the girls asked.

“Erm... Okay?” Scout said. Perhaps some coffee would best benefit him after today’s ordeals.

* * *

 

He was back in the mall now... Though Scout was with the two students.

“You must really be cool where you came from! Did you beat your school’s top record in running as well?” One of them asked.

“Yeah. Pretty much. I’m da best runna in all of Boston!” Scout said.

“Boston? Like, America? Woooooow~! A foreign exchange student!” The two students clambered onto Scout. Scout smiled a bit.

“ _Look at me, Ma! I’m da most popular kid in school!”_ Scout thought.

“Miss Akemi, you are simply amazing!” One of them said. His thoughts shattered as that reminder played in his head. He was not a teenager. He’s just in the body of one. One who was the opposite gender of him.

“Y-yeah...” Scout shuddered as the realization hit him hard. As if that wasn’t enough, Scout’s hand was feeling tingly again. “Ah... uh... listen, Imma go home now. You girls take care of yourselves, aight?” Scout said. The two students nodded and left. Scout let his hand go free and it activated his ring, changing into the jewel egg. The egg began to glow faintly.

“ _Follow it..._ ” Something whispered into his ear.

Scout got up without delay. What the heck was he even listening to? The voice sounded female... But it wasn’t any of the girls he had listened to before, and it was too deep for it to be that cat’s voice. He subconsciously followed the egg like it was a radar.

* * *

 

Scout’s journey ended at an abandoned building with an unconscious woman.

“Hey! Ya alright?” Scout ran to check on her. She was breathing, but beyond all consciousness. Scout noticed something on her neck: a tattoo. “Da crap?” Scout looked at the abandoned building. It felt almost like home to him. All that was needed was-

**BANG! BANG! BANG!**

The sound of gunfire. Scout got to his feet and ran towards the sound, no longer following the glow of the egg. It was faint, but he heard it. He ran and noticed a portal, sharing the same symbol as the tattoo on the woman’s neck: a crown on the top, turning into butterfly wings at the bottom. Scout ran into the portal with his pistol out.

* * *

 

The arena Scout was in wasn’t like any he’d seen. He ran up a large set of stairs before noticing some strange flying creatures. They had butterfly wings, but they had many eyes and the same moustache as the puffballs yesterday. Scout fired and the creatures exploded into nothingness. Scout could still hear the gunshots, but they were far away. Scout couldn’t get through all the strange creatures flying about. Still, he did find it fun and stress-relieving. However, it didn’t last long. With one final bang, the arena disappeared and Scout found himself in a dark part of the building.

That’s when he saw something being thrown at him. Before he could even react, his hand tingled and he grabbed the item: a strange spherical object with a long pointy bottom. Scout didn’t even realize what happened until someone spoke to him.

“There’s still a use left if you want it, Akemi Homura.” It was that woman’s voice.

“ _Wat!?”_ Scout thought. They were here too? Scout stepped out and his suspicions were confirmed.

“Or do you just not like to share?” The woman asked Scout.

“Share wat? Dis?” The Scout showed the woman the object.

“See what I mean!” The blue-haired girl spoke up. “This girl has no idea what a Grief Seed is, let alone what a Puella Magi is!” The girl said.

“Dere’s dat word again! Puller Mage! Seriously, da hell is dat?” Scout asked.

“I see… Pity. And to think I mistook you for someone a little more… experienced. Especially with what you said about a turf war.” The woman said.

“Hey! I’m dead serious about dat turf war!” Scout said.

“Look, I pity you already. Just take the Grief Seed and go. If you wish to be partners with me, feel free to tell me. However, I’m not going to fight someone as inexperienced as you.” She said. The Scout looked at the seed and held it in his hand.

“Ya think I’m a noob? Well, next time, I’ll show ya that I ain’t a noob!” Scout stormed out of the building, turning around to see the pink-haired girl, associating what the seaweed-haired girl called her: Kaname. He left soon after.

* * *

 

Outside of the building, Scout noticed that the woman came to.

“Where am I?” She asked. She turned to see Scout.

“Heck if I know! I’m tryin’ ta figure dat out myself! Lesbian chicks, butterfly monsters, Puller Mages... I know Japan was crazy, but I didn’t think it’d be _dat_ crazy! Hell, I’m actually a _guy_! A freakin’ guy! And yet I’m stuck in some girl’s body! Dis is a cruel joke I tell ya! A cruel joke told by a freakin’ butcha at da meat shop!” Scout said. He panted and looked to the woman. “Sorry... needed ta get dat off mah chest.” Scout ran off, leaving the woman confused.

* * *

 

Back in the hospital, Scout was still in the Puller Mage outfit. He looked at his shield... It had a seemingly bottomless storage. As he put the seed away, he noticed about a dozen other seeds.

“Woah! Da heck?” Scout looked into the shield. He couldn’t believe it. How did he manage to get so many of these, especially if he hasn’t even heard of them? He changed back and got ready for bed. He turned back into his normal clothes and changed into his hospital outfit. As he was changing, he noticed a large stitching down his chest. He had a couple of visits to the Medic to know what the stitch signified. Was that what everyone talked about with him being in the hospital? Did he- Akemi, have some sort of heart problem that needed to be fixed?

He thought about the girl he inhabited. Akemi Homura. Who _was_ she? All he knew was that she was in the hospital and needs some medicine every now and then due to this heart problem, but the ability to change clothes and having so many items in the shield just bothered him. He also managed to run very fast without her heart skipping beats trying to keep up. _Was_ this Homura an inexperienced “Puller Mage”? That can’t be since if she was inexperienced, how would she have that many “Grief Seeds”? A lot of this confused the Scout to the point where he no longer cared for the cat anymore. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	3. Bad Memories

“ _You do understand, do you? You’re leading innocent bystanders into real danger._ ”

That was what Scout heard when he woke up. It was a strange feeling he had in his head... A sort of ringing sensation. It was the same voice that told him to enter the strange world. When he fully woke up he noticed that he wasn’t in the hospital, but outside at a park in the middle of the night, staring right at the woman.

“Kyubey chose them. I doubt that makes them bystanders. Besides, how come you’re so concerned with them? I thought you were gunning for me.” The woman said.

“I... wat!? Who da crap is Kyubey? Who da crap is ‘dem’?” Scout said to her. His head bobbed. Wooziness? Maybe.

“You don’t know your classmates’ names?” She asked him.

“Ooooh! Miss ‘I had a dream about you’ and her feisty girlfriend. For da life a’ me, I don’t know, and I don’t care. All I care about is taking you on, right here and now!” Scout said.

“Hm? Oh, right. That little turf war you mentioned. Madoka has a lot of potential if and when she makes her wish. If she does decide on a wish, I hope you stop acting like a bullied child and consider a peaceful approach.” The woman said.

“B-bullied?!” Scout asked her.

“Yes. You make your authority known through showing your power, you talk constantly about fighting without actually going through with it, and you try to act tough. I’m almost convinced that you _were_ bullied at one point in your life.” She said. The Scout froze.

* * *

“ _HAH! Eat it, loser!_ ” Scout remembered a darker time of his life. It was cold, dank, and was filled with the smell of burnt tobacco, the smell of home for him and his seven older brothers. Most kids had baseball or street hockey for their pastime. Not his brothers.

A blow across his face was all the pastime he had, followed shortly by the revelation that he had less teeth than he had the day before.

“ _Hey! Quit focusing on the runt! He’s hardly worth a challenge!_ ” One of the brothers said. All Scout remembered out of that particular fight was him standing up and telling him...

“ _I’ll prove I’m notta runt!_ ”

* * *

“Hello?” The woman asked him.

“Oh… sorry… I… Look, I gotta get back to my hospital. I actually have a favour to do for a friend.” The Scout ran off, though the woman stopped him.

“This might be the last time we ever speak to each other without coming to blows. I hope the next time we meet, you’d reconsider your approach.” The woman said to him. She turned around and walked off.

* * *

When the Scout went back to the hospital, he noticed that the window to his room was opened. Confused, the Scout decided to get back to his room. He noticed a tree nearby he could climb. He climbed up the tree and went into his room via the open window. He closed the window behind him and prepared himself to sleep, having no idea what just happened. Wish? Potential? But perhaps the most disturbing thing about what happened was that cryptic line:

“ _You do understand, do you? You’re leading innocent bystanders into real danger._ ”

* * *

**Chapter 3: Bad Memories**

* * *

It seemed that the woman’s words towards him clouded his mind, as they were all The Scout could think as he woke up, even having the chance to ask Kamijou slip past him. A nurse soon entered his room.

“Morning, Akemi. How are you feeling?” She gave him a cup of water and a pill, his form of medicine.

“Meh, could be better.” Scout took his medicine and drank the water.

“Do you want to talk about it?” The nurse asked him.

“Nah. It’s just… Having some bad memories…” He said.

“Ah. I understand. Well, if you want some fresh air, feel free to walk out. Just let someone know.” She said. The Scout sighed.

“Yeah… maybe I should go for some air…” He got up and began to dress.

“Alright. Well, make sure you come back and all that.” The nurse exited the room. Scout got into his school clothes, which seem to be the only outfit he has other than his “Puller Mage” outfit and his pyjamas. He went out of his room.

* * *

As he went outside, it seemed that all his troubles just melted away. He exhaled and smiled. The outdoors usually made him smile, mostly because of the fact that there were no walls, and he could run free wherever he wanted. Of course, something had to ruin the moment.

In this case, it was a strange energy. Similar to yesterday, Scout’s ring reacted to this energy, and the same command of following it rang forth. Scout held his hand up and activated a portal. Yep. Same situation. Scout entered the portal.

* * *

Scout entered what looked to be the love child of a baker’s and a doctor’s workplace fantasy. Tons of large needles and muffins abound. There were other baked goods among the bunch, and while Scout would love to smell the freshness, he noticed two people: the woman and the pink-haired girl.

“Why is it dat I keep runnin’ into ya guys!?” Scout asked.

“If you had knowledge of being a Puella Magi, you would know that the scarcity of Grief Seeds plus the number of Puella Magi in one area results in cases like that.” The woman said.

“Look, I’m notta math expert. So, are we gonna come to blows or not?” Scout asked.

“Unfortunately not. I need to attend to other matters, like defeating this Witch.” She said.

“Witch? Oh, right, witch-huntin’. Look, if ya want, we’ll do dat ‘ten paces, turn an’ fire’ approach an’ everything!” Scout said. He recalled the cryptic message.

“ _You’re leading innocent bystanders into real danger._ ”

Scout cleared his throat. “But if we’re gonna duel, at least make sure she’s out of harm’s way.” Scout pointed to the pink-haired girl, who squirmed a bit. “I don’t want any innocents to be hurt.” Scout said.

“And I don’t want to either...” The woman held out her hand and ribbons with golden chains printed on them burst out of the ground and wrapped themselves around the Scout.

“HUH? WAT DA CRAP?!” The Scout screamed.

“Look, I know you’re eager and all, but this is serious business. I can’t let you put my life and lives of everyone in the hospital at risk due to your inexperience. This is for your own good.” The woman said to her, then turning to the pink-haired girl, said, “Let’s go, Kaname.” The two entered the hall, with the pink-haired girl turning back to look at the Scout with worry. She ran after the woman to catch up.

“Damn it.” Scout muttered. “Dey gonna be laughin’ if dey see me like dis.” He blushed.

* * *

What seemed like forever only took about five minutes before the Scout noticed something.

_Click_

The ribbons began to dissolve.

“Huh? Dese things have a time limit? Cool!” Scout ran through the hall and changed into the Puller Mage clothes. The door at the end of the hall was wide open with the sound of chomping off at the distance.

* * *

He ran to the room, in which he noticed that there was lots of confectionary around, more than enough for a sweet tooth to lose his mind over. He hopped up to a tall chair and saw a giant cartoony worm snarling with sharp bloodstained teeth. Soon, the Scout burst into laughter.

“Oh! Oh! Dis! Dis is so rich! Dis is wat dat chick held me back for? Candyland and a giant caterpillar?” He laughed harder. Soon, the caterpillar closed in on him with its mouth opened. Scout ducked out of the way onto another chair and checked his stone shield for any weapons. He noticed something new in the shield and pulled it out. It was a long plastic tube with some wiring to it and a large button. “Is… Is dis?” Scout wondered, but the worm soon curved around and flew towards him, its jaws wide open. “Only one way ta find out!” Scout pressed the button. ‘Beep’. With that audible nod, he threw the tube into the worm’s mouth and ran away from it. A massive explosion ensued from the pipe bomb. He turned around to see the smouldering crater that remained of the worm.

“Awesome!” Scout said. He turned and saw the two girls there, though with a clear lack of the woman. “Hey! Where’s dat dumb blonde? Don’t tell me she missed dat!” Scout said. He heard the breaking of glass. He turned to see that a Grief Seed was on a table, where it smashed a teacup. The world around the trio shifted back into the real world. The Grief Seed slowly floated to the ground. Scout grabbed it and inspected it.

“Don’t! That belongs to Mami!” Scout turned to see the blue-haired girl standing up as the pink-haired girl, who he assumes is Madoka Kaname was on her knees.

“Wait… why would dis belong to your mom?” Scout said. He had his hands grabbed by the girl.

“GIVE IT BACK!” The girl screamed. Scout pushed the girl to the ground.

“Seriously dough, where is dat otha girl you guys hang around wit?” Scout asked.

“ _Dead_.” the cat said to Scout.

“Wait… What?” Scout asked.

“SHE’S DEAD!” the blue-haired girl got up and grabbed Scout by the shoulders. Scout could see the tears coming from her enraged eyes. “TOMOE MAMI IS DEAD!” The words pounded into Scout’s eardrum and couldn’t stop the words bouncing around for a while. The girl stared at Scout for a bit. She pushed him lightly to the side.

“Just... Just go now!” She said to him. Scout stood, unsure of what happened. “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GO!” The girl pushed Scout and knocked him to the ground. Scout got up and ran off.

* * *

Scout stared at the starless night sky, recalling the words he heard from last night to today. “ _I’m almost convinced that you were bullied at one point in your life._ ” “ _I can’t let you put my life and lives of everyone in the hospital at risk due to your inexperience._ ” “ _TOMOE MAMI IS DEAD!_ ” “ _You’re leading innocent bystanders into real danger._ ” Soon, the nurse went in.

“Hello, Akemi, I-” The nurse walked in and noticed Scout staring in the night sky. “What’s wrong?”

“… Bad memories… The stroll didn’t help.” He said.

“… Well…” The nurse tried to say something, but couldn’t find anything to make Scout feel better. “Night.” She closed the door.

The Scout laid onto the bed and closed his eyes.


	4. It Was All In Vain

Scout sat quietly in class. He tuned out yet another session of the teacher’s lament of never finding love. While the usual images would have been how he would overcome the veteran Mage and scalp the cat, they were replaced with another: “ _TOMOE MAMI IS DEAD!_ ” The person he’d promised to defeat was gone. He confirmed it himself by checking her class and noticing her absence earlier in the day.

He subconsciously looked over to the two girls who he had saved yesterday. The sombre looks on their faces also confirm this fact. But he hadn’t seen her die himself. He hadn’t found her body. Still, he’s almost certain she was dead... But why? Was it just these two facts and that’s all he needed? Back where he was from, there’d usually be some sort of message of who killed who and how, with the addition of there being a body that would fade in time... if it hadn’t been blown to ludicrous giblets already. For all he known, she could just be hiding.

So why was he so certain that Mami was dead? It seemed that every time he’d think of that question, he’d get the voice in his head. The same voice that told him to go into battle.

“ _Yes. She is indeed dead._ ”

Having just heard it again for the tenth time today, he shuddered. The teacher stopped mid-rant.

“Miss Akemi, are you alright?” The teacher spoke, but Scout couldn’t tell if her tone was stern or concerned. Fortunately, Scout was prepared to throw out an excuse.

“Y-yeah, just comin’ down with dat condition again.” Scout said. The teacher nodded and Madoka stood up to take him to the nurse’s office.

* * *

Chapter 4: It Was All In Vain

* * *

Scout walked through the halls with Madoka.

“...” The two exchanged only silence through the trip. Scout led this time, not because of having prior knowledge of the room, but because of Madoka’s slow pace. Scout could notice in the movement of her legs that thoughts were stirring in her mind. Scout stopped and turned around.

“Y’know, I know where da room is, so I can just go dere if ya want.” Scout said.

“Oh... Yes, of... of course.” The two stood in silence. Scout mentally scratched the back of his head. On top of the supposed romantic tension, there was now another form of tension: trying to actually _talk_ to Madoka. He could ask her about Mami’s circumstance, but if what the voice was saying is true, he’d probably let loose a trigger. He felt uncomfortable to even think about it. The bigger problem was finding a topic that didn’t have to do with that matter.

The only other girls he talked to up to the point where he awoke in the hospital were the Administrator and Miss Pauling, both past the early teenager stage. While he could rely on the Spy’s advice when talking to girls, it was hardly the right kind of advice for this situation.

That and he hadn’t found a local fast food restaurant that sells fried chicken to try _his_ approach. So, he decided for this situation, he’d quote one of the most memorable heroes in video game history.

“I should go.” And he turned around and walked off.

* * *

School ended for the day. Scout’s mind was clouded with thoughts of Mami, Madoka, and what happened in the past three days. Not even the excitement of gym class helped, as he could always spot the two girls on the field during that time. The two students from the other day came forward.

“Miss Akemi! We’re going over to have coffee, wanna come?” One of them said. Scout shook his head.

“N-not right now. I have some stuff on my mind.” Scout said. He went to his locker and looked inside of it. That’s when he noticed the green haired girl. She walked to her locker and put away her books for her class. Scout couldn’t help but notice the strange tattoo on her neck, similar to the one on the woman from that same day. There was a strange searing thought in his head. She turned to him.

“Ah, yeah... I’ll get around to talkin’ with dat Kyousuke guy, but right now I’m bus-” Scout spoke up, but she simply smiled.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. You want to come with me? I’m going to go somewhere wonderful!” She asked. He could tell in her voice that something was off about her, but he didn’t bother to question it.

“Somewhere... wonderful?” In his mind, that would involve slaughterfests and high-speed beatings all while the clock ticked down and the chase of briefcase carriers intensified with each passing second. In a girl’s mind, it’d probably be something like shopping for clothes or peaking in at the boy’s locker room. “Nah, think I’ll pass. Sorry.” Scout said.

“I understand. Well, farewell.” She bowed and left. Scout sighed and closed his locker.

“ _Follow her..._ ” The voice said.

“...” He walked away from the girl.

* * *

 The Scout explored the town, not sure of where exactly to go. He could probably try the mall, but that was what started his confrontation with Mami. It triggered a storm of memories. Even though his time with her was brief, it was enough to remember her like an old footnote. He promised her that he would defeat her and prove to her that he wasn’t a novice like she believed... And all that got him in the end was her tying him up and hanging him to dry.

He thought for a bit about it... Had he not been so arrogant with Mami, she’d probably wouldn’t have tied him up... He could have saved her from whatever it was that killed her... What _did_ kill her? Scout began to shiver... He never once thought he had to think of something on par with Pyro’s gruesome murder spree, but he had to think back to the caterpillar and its bloodstained teeth. The sound of chomping as he entered ‘Candyland’. Was that worm’s last meal before his pipe bomb Mami? Would she have survived the feasting, only to be killed by the bomb? No matter how he looked at it, it was his fault that Mami was dead. That time was the last time they actually talked outside of that night’s conversation.

“ _You make your authority known through showing your power, you talk constantly about fighting without actually going through with it, and you try to act tough. I’m almost convinced that you were bullied at one point in your life._ ” Those words were more accurate than what Mami said, as the Scout remembered more about his childhood.

* * *

His brothers were at it again. They chose the alley way as their battlefield for this time. However, as they focused on each other, one of them turned their attention to Scout.

“ _Alright shrimp! Round two!_ ” He said to him. Before he could throw a punch though, Scout ran out of the way of the blow. Scout panted. Throughout the battles, he had discovered one thing: while his brothers were twice the size he was and can knock him out in a single punch, he could easily outrun them. And that’s what he did, outrun. He ran through the brawl, letting the pursuing brother to come to blows with the others. Scout smiled, but noticed that another one of his brothers wanted a piece of him.

“ _Hey, runt! Know your place!”_ His brother cracked his knuckles. Scout glared and got out an aluminum baseball bat.

“ _I told you..._ ” Scout waited for his brother to throw a punch. As he threw it... “ _I’m!_ ” He ducked under. “ _Not!_ ” He swung his bat to the kneecap and knocked him down. “ _A!_ ” He raised the bat over his head. “ _RUNT!!!_ ” And swung it down to the other kneecap.

* * *

The scream of his brother broke his concentration. That day, his brothers respected him as an equal, not as a punching bag... But at what cost? All he did was do what they did. Bully. Tomoe Mami was right. Now she’s apparently dead. She was right about it. He was nothing but a bully. Boasting about his skill, picking fights with people who weren’t looking for them, and overall acting like a massive jerk. He spent these past few days being nothing but that. Scout’s knees hit the ground as tears fell out his eyes.

“... Akemi?” Scout heard a voice and turned to see Kaname who was brushing off her eyes for a moment. Scout quickly dried his tears.

“I... I wasn’t cryin’... I wasn’t cryin’ damn it!” Scout’s voice trying to sound bold, and yet has some cracks in it that suggest otherwise. Kaname walked closer and put her hand on his shoulder.

“... It’s okay, Akemi... I...” Madoka said. He had to ask. No more voices confirming his fears, no more

“Is... Is she really...” The Scout tried to ask, the cracks becoming more obvious. Madoka simply nodded and went on her knees too. She soon began to cry. Without thought, the Scout held Madoka in his arms, and had her cry into his chest while he cried on her shoulder. They were like this for a while.

* * *

“...and she was right. I was just some bully victim actin’ out.” Scout walked with Madoka on a bridge soon after their cry session.

“I... I see... Akemi... You... You seem like Mami... A veteran...” Madoka said.

“Don’t fool yourself. I’m a noob and she’s right. I don’t know half da stuff dat’s goin’ on.” Scout said.

“In... a different sense.” She completed her sentence. Scout stopped and sighed.

“You’re probably right... I’m a vet... but not ’ere. Back at home, I used to be one of da fastest runnas dere. They wanna briefcase? They got it!” Scout smiled for a bit.

“Have a lot of people died like how Mami died?” Madoka asked.

“... Couldn’t say. I wasn’t there. I’m guessin’ that worm thing I took on had something to do with it.” Scout said. Madoka nodded.

“A Witch. That’s what Mami called them.” Madoka said.

“Witch? Sorry, but when I think Witch, I don’t think _Da Very Hungry Caterpillar_!” Scout said. Madoka frowned.

“It... it’s a weird concept to hold myself... How many times have you seen people die?” Madoka asked.

“A lot. I actually lost count ta be honest. Didn’t help dat I killed a lot of ‘em.” Scout said. This caused Madoka to freeze up a bit. Scout realized what she was thinking and quickly corrected himself. “No. I don’t mean girls, or dose “Puller Mages” either. I’m talkin’ guys wit weapons. Guns, flamethrowas, bombs, machines, heck, one guy even tried ta kill me wit syringes.” Scout said, chuckling at the last detail.

“Oh... that’s a relief...” Madoka said, catching up to the Scout now. However, she had her head hung low.

“What’s the matter?” Scout asked Madoka.

“Will... Will Mami’s apartment stay the same? Abandoned?” Madoka asked.

“... I don’t know.” Scout was almost ready to ask the voice if it knew anything, though he didn’t need to.

“ _Yes. She will be forever missing._ ” The voice said. Scout froze.

“Akemi?” Madoka asked.

“It’s... nothin’.” He said.

“ _Tell her. Tell her about what will happen concerning Tomoe Mami’s whereabouts, so that she’ll avoid the same fate._ ” The voice said.

“... Shut up...” Scout muttered.

“Akemi?” Madoka spoke up.

“ _Tell her that she will be forgotten by the world and the people who love her if she decides to become a Puella Magi. Tell her that this is the fate that awaits all Puella Magi._ ” The voice continued.

“Don’t involve ‘er into this... She’s just a kid…” Scout muttered.

“ _What do you think I’ve spent my entire life doing?_ ” The voice said.

“ ** _WHO ARE YA?!_** ” Scout shouted and flailed his arms. He tried to get the source of the voice away from him, but it seemed to be ringing from inside his head.

“AKEMI!” Madoka rushed to Scout and grabbed him. She shoved him against the railings and kept him locked there. She sniffled and began to cry. “What’s... What’s gotten into you?” Madoka pushed her head into Scout’s shoulder to pin him down.

“I...” Scout said. “ _Fine, ya want me ta tell dis poor girl? Fine!_ ” Scout thought. He spoke up to Madoka. “I... I’m not sure how we’ll be able ta get back ta Candyland... Assumin’ dere’s anythin’ left of Mammy to take back... So... She’s probably gonna be considered missin’... forever...” Scout choked on the last bit. Madoka pulled herself away from Scout and looked to him.

“That’s... That’s not fair! Mami’s been protecting people for a long time! She can’t just be forgotten like that! That’s cruel!” She broke down into tears.

“ _Happy now?_ ” Scout asked the voice, but there was no response.

“I... I won’t forget about Mami! I won’t ever forget about her!” Madoka broke out of her tears to say that. Scout slowly cracked a smile.

“Yeah... I won’t forget about her too.” Scout mentally gave the voice his middle finger.

“I won’t forget about you either!” Madoka looked into Scout’s eyes. “I won’t forget how you saved us yesterday!” Scout froze. Now that he remembered it, that monster probably wasn’t going to stop with just Mami. Had he not been in that room... Scout had to take his mind off the idea that someone like Madoka could suffer the same fate as Mami. He looked at his ring. A new thought kicked in: he was technically now a ‘Puller Mage’.

The fate that awaits all ‘Puller Mages’... To die to a monster in the worst way possible... To be forgotten by the world despite your noble deeds... Not once did Scout ever consider that fate befalling him considering his own condition. A fate similar to that of a mercenary. To die to someone who more likely than not is a psychopath... To be remembered only for how well you served your company, which given how long the two companies have been fighting for, is simply a footnote...

He hesitated, and yet despite this, he spoke.

“You’re too kind for your own good.”

Yet... yet it wasn’t his voice. He didn’t say that line. It was... that voice. The very voice that told him to fight. That told him to break the news to Madoka. It was like he went away from his computer for one second and suddenly someone else got on. And now he had to wrestle that someone off his seat.

“What?” Madoka asked.

“You’re... too kind. Thanks.” Scout smiled. It seemed taking the seat was easier than he thought. He sighed. “Sorry... bout the lil’ freakout. I guess Mami’s death shook me harda dan I thought.” Scout chuckled.

“Had you and Mami been a little nicer and talked things out... Maybe... Maybe she wouldn’t have died.” Madoka said. Scout nodded.

“Yeah... Somehow, I doubt it. Even if me and Mami were buddy buds, she had a point in me havin’ no experience in da terms of fightin’ that... ‘Witch’.” Scout tilted his head down. He gripped his fists. “Not anymore.” Madoka looked to Scout.

“Huh?” Madoka asked.

“No one’s watchin’ over this city anymore, right?” Scout asked. Madoka nodded. “Then I guess for da time bein’, I’m gonna take Mami’s place.” Scout said. Madoka smiled and held Scout.

“Th-thank you!” She cried, though not in sadness. Scout hesitated but proceeded to wrap an arm around her. Scout had a sudden thought. That girl with the tattoo... “I... I just remembered!” Scout got up. “I gotta find someone!” Scout said.

“Can I come with too?” Madoka asked. Scout paused.

“ _You do understand, do you? You’re leading innocent bystanders into real danger._ ” He remembered the voice from yesterday.

“It’s best not ta get involved, Madoka... Run along home, okay?” He said. Madoka nodded, though as she was about to run off, she stopped.

“You… called me by my first name…” Madoka said.

“… Is that supposed to be a _bad_ thing or…?” Scout scratched his head. Madoka giggled a bit.

“It’s okay. I’m… sort of glad about it. I’m not sure why, but I feel safer with you now. Well, see you later, _Homura_.” Madoka smiled and ran off. Scout raised an eyebrow.

“Da hell just happened?” Scout pondered. He shook his head. “Alright... _Now_ let’s follow that girl!”

* * *

Scout looked around for the girl, though he couldn’t find her. It wasn’t until night fall that he encountered her… Though a chill hit his spine as she saw her with Madoka.

“H-hey! Hitomi!” Madoka said to her.

“Ah jeez!” Scout ran to the two.

“Oh, evening, Miss Akemi. Changed your mind?” Hitomi said.

“Y-yeah. Just you and me, okay?” Scout said.

“Nonsense! Miss Kaname simply _must_ come with us!” And with that, Hitomi grabbed the two by their hands and dragged them with her.

* * *

Eventually, the two managed to walk without having Hitomi drag them. Scout raised his eyebrow as Hitomi walked in a strange and screwed up manner. As they walked, Scout notices other people who began to clump up to them. Soon, they would arrive at a warehouse.

What bugged Scout was the way Hitomi walked. It reminded him of the time Soldier waltzed down the bridge over at 2Fort. Weird, disturbing, and a lot like the time Engineer came up to him with his invention of the levitating hat and his strange yoga-like ability to stretch his neck.

Scout noticed that Madoka began to fret. Not only that, but Hitomi seemed too… high. High seemed to be an appropriate word for her. “Da hell’s goin’ on? What’s makin’ ya so scared?” Scout whispered into Madoka’s ear.

“It’s... she’s been kissed by a Witch.” She whispered back.

“... Can caterpillars even kiss?” He asked back.

“No... it’s...” Before she could finish, the door closed behind them with a loud clatter.

“How many of you feel that you’re useless? That you just don’t belong?” A man said in front of the crowd as there a woman carried a bucket to the center of their attention. “How many of you feel that it would be better if you’d just...” The woman pours unlabeled bottles into the bucket as he reveals a jug of bleach. “Die?” Madoka started to worry again. She tried to run, but Hitomi punched her in the gut.

“Don’t interrupt this grand ritual!” Hitomi said. It took the Scout a few seconds to realize what was going to happen. He ran, as Hitomi was busy with Madoka, grabbed the bucket, and threw the bucket out the window. The crowd noticed the window breaking and the bucket falling out. They advance towards the Scout, who noticed that they’re pretty mad at him. He transformed into his Puller Mage clothes and pulled out his pistol from the shield.

“Homura! Don’t!” Madoka screamed. Scout tried to find something to shoot at to distract the oncoming crowd. He saw a water sprinkler. Aiming quickly, the Scout fired at the sprinkler, breaking it and causing the water to be sprayed onto the crowd. As they were distracted by the water, Scout ran past them and grabbed Madoka by the arm.

“Come on! Dis way!” Scout shouted as he opened a random door. The two went in and closed the door behind them. They soon noticed they were in a storage room. “Great! We’re toast! There’s no way outta here and there’s no way to make them stop actin’ like _Da Walkin’ Dead_!” Scout said. Suddenly, there was a blue mist that slowly appeared before them as the two could hear some weird wavering sound. “Wat da crap?” Scout muttered. He turned around and see Madoka be grabbed by several angel-like puppets pull her apart. “Hey! Stop!” Some of the angels turn their attention to Scout and grab him too. In a flash, they disappeared from the storage room.

* * *

Scout couldn’t begin to describe where he was. His attempt only resulted in “blue skies with no ground to speak of”. Strange angel-like mannequins hovered around, some on carousel-horses, while they were showing off TVs. Both he and Madoka floated in the air like they were made of paper as they watched the TVs.

“ _Kaname Madoka... Had you not been so weak...Tomoe Mami would have lived..._ ” A voice said as clips showed of Mami’s confrontations with the worm monster, and her eventual downfall as the worm munched on her, starting with her head. Scout’s eyes widened as he saw the worm consume Mami from the head down. His darkest fears had been confirmed. The angels focused on him next.

“ _And you... Akemi Homura... You had been betraying your friends... and breaking their trusts..._ ” Several clips showed the Scout, in his normal male form as he shot at a canister and caused a massive explosion that destroyed a warehouse. After that, a clip showed Scout, in Akemi’s body as he shot Madoka, or rather, an object in her hand, but still had the same effect in killing her. The clip showed and switched back to more clips of the Scout shooting the canister so fast, that it was impossible for Scout to notice any additional details, like the fact that this Scout had braided hair or glasses. He wasn’t even sure what was in Madoka’s hand or why shooting at it killed her. He turned to see Madoka.

“Yes… This… This is what I deserve.” Madoka said. Two of the angels hovered to the two and carried a large TV. The TV sprouted wings and flew to Madoka as it showed clips of Mami and Madoka’s last conversation before fighting the worm. In a brief moment, Scout could see one of the final happy moments for both Madoka and Mami and the heartbreak that followed. Scout couldn’t save Mami, even if he was good friends with her… But there was someone _else_ he could save. The Scout gritted his teeth, got out his pistol and shot at the TV.

“Shut da hell up! Don’t ya _dare_ slanda me or Madoka wit yer stupid clipshow!” Scout shouted.

“ _Very well... prepare to be punished..._ ” The voice said again as the angels closed in. Scout saw them take Madoka by the arms. Two more angels came and tried to grab Madoka by the limbs.

“OH HELL NAW!” Scout shot bullets at the two angels who had her arms. They drop Madoka as she dangled by her legs. Scout shot the other two angels by their wings. They fell, unable to fly. Without anyone to hold her, Madoka fell as well. Scout flew to her and grabbed the falling Kaname with one hand. Scout noticed the two angels he shot came for him. Scout aimed at the angels and tried to fire once more.

**Click-click-click.**

“OUTTA BULLETS? GREAT!” Scout shouted. The angels close in. Madoka almost began to shriek before the angel was sliced in half and exploded, leaving bits of itself to fall and scatter on to the bottomless pit below. The Scout looked to see who killed the angel and saw a woman with blue breast armor, a white corset, a blue skirt, and a white cape. He noticed the hair. “Great... Saved by _dat_ girl.” Scout muttered as he recognized the short blue haired girl. The girl saw a figure, some girl with long hair trying to get out of the blasted TV that Scout fired at.

“PUNISH _THIS_!” She stabbed her sword downwards at the figure, bringing her and the TV flying down to the ground and smashing into it. The impact was so hard that the entire labyrinth exploded, returning the three back to the human realm.

* * *

“So, how did I do, Miss Transfer Student?” The girl said to Scout.

“FREAKIN’ EXCELLENT! I was all like, ‘save me! Save me!’ and you were like ‘HIYAH!’ and that woman was all like, ‘GAAAAAAAAAAH!’ and it was AWESOME!” Scout said. Madoka got off from Scout to look at the woman herself.

“S-Sayaka?” Kaname said to her.

“HOLD DA HELL UP! YOU’RE MIKI SAYAKA?!” Scout blurted out. The girl turned to him with an eyebrow raised.

“Yeah, and?” Sayaka asked him.

“Er... it’s nothing...” Scout muttered as Sayaka pointed to the door leading to the storage room.

“Well, we better go, Madoka.” Sayaka said.

“Uh... O... Okay...” Madoka said. Scout followed the two as they exited. They saw that the suicide cult were getting up and messaging their head like they just had a party in Las Vegas and this was their hangover. “You go on ahead, I’ll catch up with you later...” Madoka said to Sayaka.

“Okay, Madoka.” Sayaka left. Madoka turned to Scout.

“So... What happened in that TV back there, when that Witch said you betrayed people?” Madoka asked. Scout sighed.

“... Well... Back in my days, I was assigned ta distract da enemies long enough for my teammates ta steal some intelligence. We were doin’ good, til dis fat guy came wit dis huge ass Gatling gun. He was unstoppable! Soon, he and da rest of my team was at dis large warehouse where da intelligence was, and nobody could get past him ta get out! Dat’s when I noticed dat dere was a canister of explosive liquid and he was standing right next ta it. I figured I’d blow him ta smithereens, and so I shot at it. Little did I know it’d cause a big-ass explosion! Everyone died in dat fire! Except for dat fat guy. I killed my team ta get dis fat guy, and it was all in vain...” Scout said.

“...And... what about that other image... You... You shot me...” Madoka said.

“I have no idea about dat. Honest.” Scout said.

“Oh... Okay...” Madoka began to take her leave.

“Wait!” Scout said to her. Madoka soon turned around. “I… I’m sorry about Mami. I didn’t know she meant that much to you.” Scout said.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Madoka asked.

“You and her… Before she fought that… Witch-thingy… You two held hands, right?” Scout asked.

“Erm… yeah?” Madoka said.

“I didn’t hear what you two were saying, but I’ll be a bit envious if those were confessions. I could never confess my feelings to the one I like.” Scout said.

“E-eh!? You… You think I liked Mami?” Madoka began to blush. Scout turned to her and smiled.

“Don’t worry. You don’t have to be embarrassed. If you wanna love girls, then go ahead and love girls. I won’t stop ya anymore.” Scout said. He could see Madoka’s face turn flush red.

“W-well, I’ll see you later, Homura!” Madoka rushed out of the room. The Scout looked at the waking victims and spots Hitomi, who wakes up and notices him.

“A...Akemi? What happened?” Hitomi asked.

“Wait, ya don’t remember da whole suicide cult and punchin’ Madoka in da gut?” Scout asked her. Hitomi put her hand to her mouth and gasped.

“W... What? No... There’s no way I would try to...” Hitomi looked at the others who scratched their heads in confusion. She noticed the bottle of detergents. “I... I did...” Hitomi ran out of the room crying. Scout sighed and went back to the hospital.

* * *

The nurse sat by his bed when he came back. There was a briefcase on the foldout chair.

“Hello, Akemi, how was your day?” She asked.

“Perfect. I feel a lot better.” Scout said.

“Good.” She smiled. “I have some great news, however. The doctors have noticed a boost in your health and have decided that you’re healthy enough to be dispatched.” She said.

“Uh... Great?” Scout said.

“Is there something wrong?” the nurse asked.

“Well, I have no idea where I live, for starters, that and I have something to finish.” Scout said.

“Don’t worry, you have all of tomorrow to prepare. We’ll give you an address of where your residence is to boot.” the nurse said.

“That’s good.” Scout said.

“Well, I’ll leave and have you rest. Bye.” the nurse said as she left the room. The Scout lay on the bed, thinking of what to say to Kamijou and how to ask him the question. There were other things floating in his head: Madoka’s unrequited love declaration to Homura, Sayaka’s new status as a Puller Mage and his new chance to make things right, and also Hitomi’s clearly broken psyche, and his new home. So many things to do, so little time…

All he knows is that they have to be done tomorrow. And with that, he went to sleep.


End file.
